Info for Parents

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office is excited to announce the launch of Oregon’s Kid Governor®, an award-winning civics program created by the Connecticut Public Affairs Network (CPAN). The program is designed to teach 5th graders about civics and civic engagement – and your son/daughter’s class will be participating! Through this program, your child’s class will join 5th grade classrooms across the state in learning about government, how it works and the importance of civic engagement through the election of a 5th grade governor.

In the weeks leading up to Election Day 2017, your child’s class will participate in lessons about Oregon’s three branches of state government, elections, and campaign platforms. Students will then discuss community issues important to them and choose one to research. They may choose topics such as recycling, animal rights, pollution, bullying, etc. Once they have researched an issue, they will work to craft campaign platforms and speeches. Students that choose to run for Oregon’s Kid Governor will deliver their speeches as part of the election process. The process will include class-wide and/or school-wide primaries. As in real life, the student with the most votes will be the school’s nominee for the Statewide Election.

The school’s nominee will then create a campaign video with the help of classmates. The video will outline: why they want to be Oregon’s Kid Governor; what leadership qualities they have; a community issue that they want to address and why it’s important; and a three-point plan that will help 5th graders across Oregon make a difference on that issue. Teachers will submit their student nominee’s video to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. An Advisory Committee of civics and education professionals will select the top candidate videos statewide and those videos will be posted online at OR.KidGovernor.org. During the Statewide Election, November 6-14, 2017, 5th graders throughout Oregon will view these videos, cast their votes and elect the next Oregon’s Kid Governor.

In the coming weeks, your child will learn how to vote and how to run for office. He or she may want to run as a candidate for Oregon’s Kid Governor at the school level. If your child wins the school primary, he or she will be a potential statewide candidate in the race for Oregon’s Kid Governor. Real candidates get approval from their families before they run for office and your child should, too. We want to make you aware of this program in advance so you can determine how you would like your child to participate. If you want your child to run for office, please complete this form and return it to your child’s teacher by his/her deadline.

If your student wins the school primary and statewide election, they can expect an exciting term as Oregon’s Kid Governor, with opportunities that include:

Inauguration ceremony. (tent. January 2018)

Create videos to share with constituents and students about his/her community issue.

Maintain a blog about his/her community issue and action being taken by students statewide to make a difference.

Meet and speak with students and adults across the state.

Participate in programs and events with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, Kid Governor®, and other groups throughout the state.

Have a special Oregon’s Kid Governor Office.

For more information about Oregon’s Kid Governor and the expectations of the successful candidate, please visit OR.KidGovernor.org. We ask that you review these documents to better understand what may be expected of your son/daughter should they win the statewide race.

Please remember that the spirit of Oregon’s Kid Governor is not based upon winning and losing, but about students learning that they can have a positive impact on their communities!